British R1200GS contingent @ Yellowstone

[Chuey]

A 1200GS looking well toured on drones past as my daughter and her two kids take me on a walk clear across town. That's about four blocks. Anyway, quite a few more GSs buzzed past and they gathered at the Absoroka Inn. This is in Gardiner, Mt. which is the North entrance to Yellowstone National Park. They had just pulled in and were in various stages of signing in to the Inn when we walked up. They are from England and are on a fourteen week trip (week 3) and were headed from Prudhoe Bay, AK to somewhere in South America. Nice guys, nice bikes. I hope they travel well and safely.

Any of youse guys over in the UK know of this group?

My bike was out of sight but I just know they'd have liked it if they saw it.

Chuey

[enigmaT120]

Wow. They must be retired.

I'm getting disgruntled lately because it's such a hassle to even get a week off. There's nobody around here to cover for me.

I'm glad you rode your bike, Chuey. That must be a great trip. I've only been through Yellowstone in a pickup.

[Chuey]

Going through Yellowstone is not so great. It is probably the same in any motorized vehicle, more or less. And when I go through, it is beautiful scenery for sure but it is at the end of two long days on the RS which makes me ache.

When I've had the best times in Y-stone it is when my daughter, her hubby and the kids have taken me on hikes that most people don't get to go on. They aren't so awfully far off the beaten path but the fact is that they are not the beaten path.

This year, I saw Old Faithful blow her steam rocket. It is an interesting phenomenon that the "plume" is the same as pictures show. I wouldn't think it would remain the same over decades and decades due to erosion changing the shape of the orifice that the pressure blows through. I've seen very old postcards that show the same distinctive shape but never wondered why it always has that distinctive form in pictures. I now know why.

Even though the trip is grueling on the RS, I enjoy it. I'm hoping to get a Police model R1200 on the used market. I think if I had a little more upright position, I'd be able to pull off 1,000 mile days with relative ease.

Chuey

[enigmaT120]

Do they have any trails there open to bicycles? I know our wilderness areas don't allow them but parks probably do. I'm sure grizzly bears don't consider bicycles prey. I keep telling myself in the mornings that mountain lions don't.

[Deleted User 287]

Do they have any trails there open to bicycles? I know our wilderness areas don't allow them but parks probably do. I'm sure grizzly bears don't consider bicycles prey. I keep telling myself in the mornings that mountain lions don't.

Ed, one of these on the bike might give the big cats a reason to paws:

[enigmaT120]

Snicker... I bet it would. I seriously doubt that if a big predator was after me, I would have time to do anything like blow a horn or any of the other often discussed options. I don't remember how many hunters I've heard claim that they got a cougar that had been stalking them. If it had been, they would never have seen it. The cats are just doing what our cats around the house do: they follow us around watching us. Proof, now that I think of it, that they are not as smart as we think they are.

[Steve in Golden]

Do they have any trails there open to bicycles? I know our wilderness areas don't allow them but parks probably do. I'm sure grizzly bears don't consider bicycles prey. I keep telling myself in the mornings that mountain lions don't.

I don't think there are many trails, if any, open to bicycling in Yellowstone.

Been a few bear encounters there lately! And here in CO. And AK. Bears been active lately.

Going through Yellowstone is not so great. It is probably the same in any motorized vehicle, more or less. And when I go through, it is beautiful scenery for sure but it is at the end of two long days on the RS which makes me ache.

It would not be as much fun on the MC if stuck behind a bunch of cars, RVs, etc. If you had the road to yourself though, like say at 6 on a nice sunny morning before everyone else is up, it would sure be much more fun on the MC than in a car. And of course it would be good to be well rested.

[melville]

Do they have any trails there open to bicycles? I know our wilderness areas don't allow them but parks probably do. I'm sure grizzly bears don't consider bicycles prey. I keep telling myself in the mornings that mountain lions don't.

I don't think there are many trails, if any, open to bicycling in Yellowstone.

Been a few bear encounters there lately! And here in CO. And AK. Bears been active lately.

Going through Yellowstone is not so great. It is probably the same in any motorized vehicle, more or less. And when I go through, it is beautiful scenery for sure but it is at the end of two long days on the RS which makes me ache.

It would not be as much fun on the MC if stuck behind a bunch of cars, RVs, etc. If you had the road to yourself though, like say at 6 on a nice sunny morning before everyone else is up, it would sure be much more fun on the MC than in a car. And of course it would be good to be well rested.

Well, over by Chuey a mountain biker was killed and partially eaten by a mountain lion a few years back. IIRC the cat ate the liver (Mmm! Tasty!) and buried the rest to eat later. FWIW, I recall the words "fixing a broken chain" to describe the last living moments of the cyclist. Haven't heard of bears going for bikes.

The roads and nearly nothing else were open to bicycles when we were there in 2003.

You will be stuck behind very slow people in RVs. We were there in the Kombi, with its previous 45ish hp motor, and we were held up nearly everywhere we went. It's not about the destination or even enjoying the road on the way. It's all about the view there. That, and the animals.

[Chuey]

As mellville mentioned, a man was killed in a park I rode in a lot. He evidently had his back to the open and was facing his bike in a couching position. Mt. lions attack from behind. Some people put eyes that are made for stuffed animals on the back of their helmets.

I figured out a device that would work almost for sure even during an attack. It would employ aquarium tubing and use it to route bear spray from the front where you'd have a panic button type release and then shoot the spray downward across your back. I got the idea when discussing lions with a customer at the shop. He said he was watching a nature show and a lion was chasing a skunk. The skunk stopped and sprayed and the lion took off. Feel free to build up one of these things if you'd like.

In Yellowstone, the speed limit is 45mph. There are lots of animals there and I think there would be better places to enjoy the curves. That said, it is very pleasant and I haven't been stuck in those jams people talk about. OK, once some bison were blocking the road.

I re-read my earlier post and it sounds like I'm saying it's no fun to ride through the park. It is, but it's not the mostest fun thing to do in the park.

Chuey

[enigmaT120]

I'm not really worried about lions. I'm cursed with perspective. I'm way more likely to be randomly shot by some person driving by me a la "Nebraska" than I am to be attacked by any wild animal. I don't worry too much about that either. I don't think I'm brave, I just lack imagination.